“I like to call things as they are. Before, the only thing I was interested in was love, how it grips you, how it terrifies you, how it annihilates and resuscitates you. I didn‘t know then that it wasn‘t even love that I was interested in, but my own suffering. I thought suffering kept things interesting. How funny that I called it love and the whole time it was pain.“
—from “Calling Things What They Are“
pickLevine writes about working class people as in My Brother, Antonio, the baker,remembers family members as in Yenkl or a dead friend in Storms. But he also writes about the lyrical I in nature as in Gospel which to me is an outstanding poem.Its rhythm,the pauses,the clear,transparent diction.”I didn‘t come for answers to a place like this, I came to walk”-love the line.Not all poems were emotionally resonant,but overall a great collection.
I would dive into the lake
- immediate, its cobalt reach and
silence - slide down, into the rich,
closed, icy book, blue lipped
in a white rubber cabbage-roses
headdress, and a coral rubber nose-clip,
slow-flitting like an agate-eating
swallow, floating sideways in
the indigo pressure.
pickThis was such a lovely collection of poems!
The books starts off with an Author‘s Note that gives some background into how the poems and book came together. I always appreciate these in poetry books because poetry is deeply personal so it‘s nice to have some context.
Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2024/10/05/review-clumsy-beauty/
I‘ve been listening to a lot of country lately, and this has been one of my favorite songs. I love the romantic wistfulness of it. He has a lot of great modern country ballads. Plus it wins for understated album cover! 😂 #tuesdaytunes
https://open.spotify.com/track/2UikqkwBv7aIvlixeVXHWt?si=L_G5zcQDRYiNRESXi16XPg&...
This is today's poem from my poetry advent calendar—paired with a mug of vanilla chai from my tea advent calendar. 2w